The Jerusalem event was the first since the election of a hardline government with homophobic ministers.
Israel's far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has been jeered by marchers at Jerusalem Gay Pride.The march was the first since the election of a hardline religious-nationalist government, including openly homophobic senior ministers.
Mr Ben-Gvir, who as National Security minister was responsible for securing the march, has a long track-record of aggressively homophobic positions and once attended a so-called "beast parade" rejecting LGBTQ rights. Far-right Telegram and WhatsApp groups published "violent and hateful messages" throughout the week, according to FakeReporter, which monitors online extremism. It said that Lehava, a far-right group, referred to march as the "abomination parade" and called for protests accompanied by a message stating that it would be a "deadly Thursday".
Meanwhile, a few dozen ultra-religious and far-right protesters, organised by Lehava, were separated by police from the Gay Pride rally. Banners read: "Don't let them have children" and "Jerusalem is not Sodom", in reference to the biblical city supposedly destroyed by God for the sin of homosexuality.
Gay Pride marcher Elisa Gilman stood with a sign offering "free hugs" to younger participants who "haven't had a hug from a parent for a while" due to their sexuality."Many have said 'I will be here this year because of that - I cannot allow who is in government to affect the fact that this is who I am and this is my life'," said Ms Gilman who described herself as an "ally" to the LGBTQ community.
In 2006, Mr Ben-Gvir attended a so-called beast parade against Gay Pride, in which religious activists led goats and donkeys through the streets and hoisted banners calling LGBTQ people "impure". Two years later, he was photographed kicking a trans woman at Gay Pride in Tel Aviv. He later claimed it was in self-defence.
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